We are a Rotary Club for busy people with business and family commitments - always on the move yet ready to give something back and change the lives of thousands less fortunate than ourselves.

London Centenary supports Poverty Breakers Charity

work - her bookstall in Enfield Market where she raises money for Poverty B

Today Stella ( The Club Secretary) surprised Bindya at work - her bookstall in Enfield

Market where she raises money for Poverty

Breakers. She was delighted to receive a

cheque for £200 from the club to help towards

the purchase of items needed by the poor

families in India which she supports. She told

Stella proudly of the first of her 'adopted' daughters who had just passed her 2nd year

studying as a Radiologist and had been advised to go for her masters degree. Perhaps our small contribution can help.

reakers. She was delighted to receive a cheque for £200 from the club to help towards the purchase of items needed by the poor families in India which she supports. She told Stella proudly of the first of her 'adopted' daughters who had just passed her 2nd year studying as a Radiologist and had been advised to go for her masters degree. Perhaps our small contribution can help. If you would like to know more about Poverty Breakers visit

In early 2017, the Wheelchair Foundation UK, founded by Rotarian Milton Frary, initiated a project to send a container full of wheelchairs for use by disabled people in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Consulate in London supported the project by adding 20% to every donation made by a Rotary club.

Working once again with the Rotary Club of Moshi, a town in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, Milton assembled contributions from 25 clubs, including Jersey RC and the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary to fill the container. Together with a grant from District 1130, London Centenary was able to contribute £2,000, which together with £400 from the Consulate, was enough to fund 33 wheelchairs.

Jo Ann Ross, a London Centenary RC member living in Harare, Zimbabwe, travelled to Tanzania in early November to be present for the handover of 110 wheelchairs by a Tanzanian government commissioner in Moshi on 11 November 2017. The impressive ceremony was attended by a good crowd, several radio and TV crews as well as journalists.

A delighted recipient with Elaine Frary and club member Jo Ann Ross (standing).

This man, (Michael) came in wearing a pair of well- known branded trainers on his knees to enable his getting around. His knees had been locked back for so long – it took some adaptation to make him comfortable!

There were many emotional stories that morning when recipient adults were carried into the presentation area with stories of how they could not go with their families to Church or children to school or participate in out-side activities. Many were confined to their bedside - rarely to even go outside.

Receiving a wheelchair is not only life-changing for the recipient, it is also a relief to the family members and others who help the disabled to get about, often over difficult terrain.

Wheelchairs funded the by E-Club of London Centenary are identified by having the name of the club embroidered on a badge

Faye not only spearheaded and managed the whole operation, but hosted Milton, Elaine and Jo Ann for a few days! She is widely known and is fondly referred to as ‘Mama Kuku’ as she has three chicken farms

Bottom left shows the one of the delighted recipients being taken home on her husband’s motorbike with the huge box tied to the back.

All boxes are clearly identified with size and name. Boxes are often put to good use as mattresses in some areas.

How does an e-club of district 1130 get involved in a community project in Zimbabwe?

To quote a phrase of Alexandre Dumas, which has become a cliché of detective pulp fiction, "cherchez la femme".

Jo Ann Ross, past president of Rotary E-Club of London Centenary makes her home in Harare Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) where she has lived most of her life. Her membership in an e-club based in district 1130 enables her to engage in Rotary projects at community, district and international level.

In the Fall of 2014, Jo Ann a director of Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (called Young Enterprise in the UK) convinced the E-Club of London Centenary to support this project together with the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brook (Zimbabwe).

Following the JA structured business programme, a company under the name of Verity Holdings ZRP was established by students with support from school authorities and JA Zimbabwe, to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit among its students. Under the leadership of Tanaka Chingonzo student CEO, the company, among other activities, commercialised the process of converting waste plastic into floor polish and producing it for consumption by the school and the surrounding Hatcliffe community. The initiative won several accolades including an award at the Sanganai- Hlanganani international expo and EMA Environmental competitions. [picture 1]

Based on this success, and thanks to a grant from EducationUSA, Tanaka was accepted to Watson University (USA), an incubator that runs a degree-bearing four-month programme for student innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs working to solve the toughest social and environmental challenges of our time.

Following this academic achievement, Tanaka, the 18-year-old graduate of ZRP High School in Hatcliffe, Harare, has now landed a scholarship to study at the United States’ College of Wooster, a prestigious research focused college in Ohio (USA). He travels for the four-year study this August. [picture 2]

This success story is an excellent example of how an e-club can make a big impact in a community project albeit 7’500 miles away. Rotary E-Club of London Centenary’s support has helped Tanaka Chingonzo develop his skills and hopefully, in the future, enable him to make a valuable contribution to the development of his country.

Since January 1, 2015, an international team of Amateur Radio Operators have been active on the amateur radio bands, with the call-signs “OU0POLIO” in Denmark, and “DL0POLIO” in Germany. The call-signs were created to bring awareness that Poliomyelitis (POLIO) is not yet eradicated in the world. Rotarians will not stop immunization programs until Polio is 100% eradicated. It is anticipated that the eradication will be completed by 2020.

In individual radio contacts and conversations, our radio operators inform on the work of Rotary in general, and with a focus on End Polio Now.

Our Radio Operators, when talking to other Radio Operators, provide information on the work Rotarians are doing, to END POLIO NOW. https://www.endpolio.org/

Danish Rotary District 1450 & Germany Rotary District 1842 - the Rotary Club Altoetting-Burghausen, in cooperation with “The International Fellowship for Rotarians of Amateur Radio, (R.O.A.R.)”. http://www.ifroar.org/ continue to promote Rotary's Service Above Self.

Congratulations to President Elect Graham on his induction to the Paul Harris Society at the Eastbourne Conference.

Club Visit by DG Helen Antoniou, 17th November 2016

Tonight we had one of our best ever attendances when DG Helen together with PDG Dick Nathan joined a few members and guests at York Gate and 15 members and prospective members joined the online meeting

Taken by Jeremy, one of our incoming Global Scholars, this photo shows DG Helen Antoniou and PDG Dick Nathan, with his wife June, our Treasurer Michael, and PAG and Club member Francis Uwaechi who made up the balance of attendees.

November 2016: Crocus Planting Update

Just before half-term break, the Rotakids group planted the first 1000 of the 5000 crocus corms in the school grounds in large planters. Then each child was given 3 corms and a purple flowerpot (donated by a local garden Centre) which they planted up to take home. They were given guidance by Ernie, a retired nurseryman, on how to plant and take care of their crocus pots at home.

October 2016:The new RotaKids Club is promoting PolioPlus awareness: An update from Secretary Stella.

Just a brief report on the first part of the programme. It’s been fun so far. I have two support Teachers One of whom is from the other school in the Federation and are looking to also introduce RotaKids to help and the kids are pretty well behaved – 18 of them in the group, and Ernie comes too.

Some are very keen and we are looking forward to our Planting day in two weeks. We have 5000 corms to plant. The two big planters are not fully filled with soil so the crocuses would not be seen when they bloom. The company that did the landscaping is well known to Ernie and me, and Ernie spoke to them and they will top them up for us with reclaimed soil in a day or two. Ernie went to a nursery today and told them what our club was doing for the Polio Campaign. They have donated two packs of larger crocus corms – deep purple, and lovely purple flower pots for the children so they can have a pot with a couple of corms to take home and look after, and a bag of compost for planting them. So Thank you letters on the agenda for next Friday.

District 1130 Foundation Committee recognises London Centenary's support of Rotary's own Charity.

At the recent Foundation awards dinner Club members Graham and Stella were pleased to receive two awards for work done in Support of Rotary Foundation on the Club's behalf. One was for our financial contributions to the Charity, and one was for the successful conclusion to another phase of our Junior Achievement Programme in Zimbabwe. The award of a District Grant enabled us to fund the training of young teenagers in Enterprise skills. The students undertook to identify a need in their community, design, produce and market a product. Zimbabwe is noted for its frequent power outages which can last for many hours, especially during the dark periods of the day, and the students designed LED powered torches, which proved to be successful and popular with local customers.

Well done to Stella for all her work with Global Scholars, our four Sustaining members and donations to Foundation from individuals and Club funds - all added up for our Club to be given Commended certificate.

The 4th award our club received during 2013-14 - well done to all involved.

Hello members and visitors – this was sent to us by a staunch and seasoned Rotarian from the US – and as it has so many replies already and addresses to a modern day problem within Rotary I thought it a good idea to put it where we can see it and get input from others on this.
Jo Ann Ross May 2014

by: Tom Carroll on RI Discussion Forum: Membership Best Practices

For some time I've been thinking about the Rotary membership challenge in the United States and Canada, and what lies at the issue's core.
I've come to the conclusion that it isn't that we don't ask guests to come to meetings, or even that members leave because they are not engaged. If this were true, then simply inviting people to meetings and engaging the membership would have solved our problems years ago. As Gateway Rotary (D5020) experiences dramatic growth (50% so far this year) and Gig Harbor Rotary (D5020) even has a waiting list,

I'm constantly being asked, "What are you doing differently"?

The answer? We're selling a car people want to buy, not the car we have always sold.

As this was the first 'bricks and mortar' meeting since the start of the Rotary Year of our e-club, we normally meet on-line, IPP Francis handed over the Collar of Office to incoming President for 2013-14 Jo Ann Ross. The President also received a framed Certificate of Appreciation on bahlf of the Club from the RC of Borrowdale Brooke in Harare, expressing their thanks for the assistance given to them by the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary.

A special event for London Centenary was the visit of our District Governor Eve Conway-Ghazi to our meeting at York Gate. It was all the more special as the members of the newly formed Interact Club of the London Nautical School came along to receive their charter. This fine group of young men are already planning projects in their community.

THE E-CLUB OF LONDON CENTENARY ASSISTS YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN A HARARE HIGH DENSITY SUBURB

(Entrepreneurship now part of the 6 FOCUS AREAS of Rotary Foundation)

At a recent meeting of the RC of Borrowdale Brooke, Harare, (RCBB) a cheque of US$ 1,160.00 (£800.00) was presented to President Sep of the RCBB for a high density suburb school in Harare.

President Sep then presented the cheque to Mr Stephen Gwasira, board member of Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (JAZ). The funds will be used for twenty-five students from Hatcliffe Senior School, to be mentored and facilitated in the art of entrepreneurship with the professional materials provided by the sponsorship.

Club Project Spotlight: Guatemala

Reported by Christopher Edwards

The Rotary E-Club London Centenary has donated £400 to the Los Niños project in Guatemala to fund the salary of the new computer teacher at the Semilla de Esperanza y Amor (Seed of Hope and Love) in the village of San Mateo Milpas Alta near Antigua, Guatemala. His name is Jorge Ortiz and he is a 21 year old accountant. An article about him that appeared in the February 2012 newsletter of the Los Niños is set out below.

Club Project Spotlight: Zimbabwe

Published April 16th, 2012 at our old website

Reported by Jo Ann Ross

Suffering from regular 12-16 hour electricity cuts, Nkulumane Clinic, in Bulawayo, was in a very bad situation. The maternity section of the hospital had to operate by candlelight, and cold water during the night – unfortunately babies do not wait for the daytime hours.

Rotary e-Club of London Centenaryi s now a partner in Zimbabwe with Junior Achievement (JA), a well-established world-wide organization set up in the USA in 1919, which promotes business education in schools. In Great Britan and Australia, the organization is known as Young Enterprise (YE). In Zimbabwe it is known as Junior Achievement Zimbabwe or JAZ.

In early 2017, the Wheelchair Foundation UK, founded by Rotarian Milton Frary, initiated a project to send a container full of wheelchairs for use by disabled people in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Consulate in London supported the project by adding 20% to every donation made by a Rotary club.

Working once again with the Rotary Club of Moshi, a town in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, Milton assembled contributions from 25 clubs, including Jersey RC and the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary to fill the container. Together with a grant from District 1130, London Centenary was able to contribute £2,000, which together with £400 from the Consulate, was enough to fund 33 wheelchairs.

Jo Ann Ross, a London Centenary RC member living in Harare, Zimbabwe, travelled to Tanzania in early November to be present for the handover of 110 wheelchairs by a Tanzanian government commissioner in Moshi on 11 November 2017. The impressive ceremony was attended by a good crowd, several radio and TV crews as well as journalists.

A delighted recipient with Elaine Frary and club member Jo Ann Ross (standing).

This man, (Michael) came in wearing a pair of well- known branded trainers on his knees to enable his getting around. His knees had been locked back for so long – it took some adaptation to make him comfortable!

There were many emotional stories that morning when recipient adults were carried into the presentation area with stories of how they could not go with their families to Church or children to school or participate in out-side activities. Many were confined to their bedside - rarely to even go outside.

Receiving a wheelchair is not only life-changing for the recipient, it is also a relief to the family members and others who help the disabled to get about, often over difficult terrain.

Wheelchairs funded the by E-Club of London Centenary are identified by having the name of the club embroidered on a badge

Faye not only spearheaded and managed the whole operation, but hosted Milton, Elaine and Jo Ann for a few days! She is widely known and is fondly referred to as ‘Mama Kuku’ as she has three chicken farms

Bottom left shows the one of the delighted recipients being taken home on her husband’s motorbike with the huge box tied to the back.

All boxes are clearly identified with size and name. Boxes are often put to good use as mattresses in some areas.

How does an e-club of district 1130 get involved in a community project in Zimbabwe?

To quote a phrase of Alexandre Dumas, which has become a cliché of detective pulp fiction, "cherchez la femme".

Jo Ann Ross, past president of Rotary E-Club of London Centenary makes her home in Harare Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) where she has lived most of her life. Her membership in an e-club based in district 1130 enables her to engage in Rotary projects at community, district and international level.

In the Fall of 2014, Jo Ann a director of Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (called Young Enterprise in the UK) convinced the E-Club of London Centenary to support this project together with the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brook (Zimbabwe).

Following the JA structured business programme, a company under the name of Verity Holdings ZRP was established by students with support from school authorities and JA Zimbabwe, to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit among its students. Under the leadership of Tanaka Chingonzo student CEO, the company, among other activities, commercialised the process of converting waste plastic into floor polish and producing it for consumption by the school and the surrounding Hatcliffe community. The initiative won several accolades including an award at the Sanganai- Hlanganani international expo and EMA Environmental competitions. [picture 1]

Based on this success, and thanks to a grant from EducationUSA, Tanaka was accepted to Watson University (USA), an incubator that runs a degree-bearing four-month programme for student innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs working to solve the toughest social and environmental challenges of our time.

Following this academic achievement, Tanaka, the 18-year-old graduate of ZRP High School in Hatcliffe, Harare, has now landed a scholarship to study at the United States’ College of Wooster, a prestigious research focused college in Ohio (USA). He travels for the four-year study this August. [picture 2]

This success story is an excellent example of how an e-club can make a big impact in a community project albeit 7’500 miles away. Rotary E-Club of London Centenary’s support has helped Tanaka Chingonzo develop his skills and hopefully, in the future, enable him to make a valuable contribution to the development of his country.

Since January 1, 2015, an international team of Amateur Radio Operators have been active on the amateur radio bands, with the call-signs “OU0POLIO” in Denmark, and “DL0POLIO” in Germany. The call-signs were created to bring awareness that Poliomyelitis (POLIO) is not yet eradicated in the world. Rotarians will not stop immunization programs until Polio is 100% eradicated. It is anticipated that the eradication will be completed by 2020.

In individual radio contacts and conversations, our radio operators inform on the work of Rotary in general, and with a focus on End Polio Now.

Our Radio Operators, when talking to other Radio Operators, provide information on the work Rotarians are doing, to END POLIO NOW. https://www.endpolio.org/

Danish Rotary District 1450 & Germany Rotary District 1842 - the Rotary Club Altoetting-Burghausen, in cooperation with “The International Fellowship for Rotarians of Amateur Radio, (R.O.A.R.)”. http://www.ifroar.org/ continue to promote Rotary's Service Above Self.

Congratulations to President Elect Graham on his induction to the Paul Harris Society at the Eastbourne Conference.

Club Visit by DG Helen Antoniou, 17th November 2016

Tonight we had one of our best ever attendances when DG Helen together with PDG Dick Nathan joined a few members and guests at York Gate and 15 members and prospective members joined the online meeting

Taken by Jeremy, one of our incoming Global Scholars, this photo shows DG Helen Antoniou and PDG Dick Nathan, with his wife June, our Treasurer Michael, and PAG and Club member Francis Uwaechi who made up the balance of attendees.

November 2016: Crocus Planting Update

Just before half-term break, the Rotakids group planted the first 1000 of the 5000 crocus corms in the school grounds in large planters. Then each child was given 3 corms and a purple flowerpot (donated by a local garden Centre) which they planted up to take home. They were given guidance by Ernie, a retired nurseryman, on how to plant and take care of their crocus pots at home.

October 2016:The new RotaKids Club is promoting PolioPlus awareness: An update from Secretary Stella.

Just a brief report on the first part of the programme. It’s been fun so far. I have two support Teachers One of whom is from the other school in the Federation and are looking to also introduce RotaKids to help and the kids are pretty well behaved – 18 of them in the group, and Ernie comes too.

Some are very keen and we are looking forward to our Planting day in two weeks. We have 5000 corms to plant. The two big planters are not fully filled with soil so the crocuses would not be seen when they bloom. The company that did the landscaping is well known to Ernie and me, and Ernie spoke to them and they will top them up for us with reclaimed soil in a day or two. Ernie went to a nursery today and told them what our club was doing for the Polio Campaign. They have donated two packs of larger crocus corms – deep purple, and lovely purple flower pots for the children so they can have a pot with a couple of corms to take home and look after, and a bag of compost for planting them. So Thank you letters on the agenda for next Friday.

District 1130 Foundation Committee recognises London Centenary's support of Rotary's own Charity.

At the recent Foundation awards dinner Club members Graham and Stella were pleased to receive two awards for work done in Support of Rotary Foundation on the Club's behalf. One was for our financial contributions to the Charity, and one was for the successful conclusion to another phase of our Junior Achievement Programme in Zimbabwe. The award of a District Grant enabled us to fund the training of young teenagers in Enterprise skills. The students undertook to identify a need in their community, design, produce and market a product. Zimbabwe is noted for its frequent power outages which can last for many hours, especially during the dark periods of the day, and the students designed LED powered torches, which proved to be successful and popular with local customers.

Well done to Stella for all her work with Global Scholars, our four Sustaining members and donations to Foundation from individuals and Club funds - all added up for our Club to be given Commended certificate.

The 4th award our club received during 2013-14 - well done to all involved.

Hello members and visitors – this was sent to us by a staunch and seasoned Rotarian from the US – and as it has so many replies already and addresses to a modern day problem within Rotary I thought it a good idea to put it where we can see it and get input from others on this.
Jo Ann Ross May 2014

by: Tom Carroll on RI Discussion Forum: Membership Best Practices

For some time I've been thinking about the Rotary membership challenge in the United States and Canada, and what lies at the issue's core.
I've come to the conclusion that it isn't that we don't ask guests to come to meetings, or even that members leave because they are not engaged. If this were true, then simply inviting people to meetings and engaging the membership would have solved our problems years ago. As Gateway Rotary (D5020) experiences dramatic growth (50% so far this year) and Gig Harbor Rotary (D5020) even has a waiting list,

I'm constantly being asked, "What are you doing differently"?

The answer? We're selling a car people want to buy, not the car we have always sold.

As this was the first 'bricks and mortar' meeting since the start of the Rotary Year of our e-club, we normally meet on-line, IPP Francis handed over the Collar of Office to incoming President for 2013-14 Jo Ann Ross. The President also received a framed Certificate of Appreciation on bahlf of the Club from the RC of Borrowdale Brooke in Harare, expressing their thanks for the assistance given to them by the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary.

A special event for London Centenary was the visit of our District Governor Eve Conway-Ghazi to our meeting at York Gate. It was all the more special as the members of the newly formed Interact Club of the London Nautical School came along to receive their charter. This fine group of young men are already planning projects in their community.

THE E-CLUB OF LONDON CENTENARY ASSISTS YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN A HARARE HIGH DENSITY SUBURB

(Entrepreneurship now part of the 6 FOCUS AREAS of Rotary Foundation)

At a recent meeting of the RC of Borrowdale Brooke, Harare, (RCBB) a cheque of US$ 1,160.00 (£800.00) was presented to President Sep of the RCBB for a high density suburb school in Harare.

President Sep then presented the cheque to Mr Stephen Gwasira, board member of Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (JAZ). The funds will be used for twenty-five students from Hatcliffe Senior School, to be mentored and facilitated in the art of entrepreneurship with the professional materials provided by the sponsorship.

Club Project Spotlight: Guatemala

Reported by Christopher Edwards

The Rotary E-Club London Centenary has donated £400 to the Los Niños project in Guatemala to fund the salary of the new computer teacher at the Semilla de Esperanza y Amor (Seed of Hope and Love) in the village of San Mateo Milpas Alta near Antigua, Guatemala. His name is Jorge Ortiz and he is a 21 year old accountant. An article about him that appeared in the February 2012 newsletter of the Los Niños is set out below.

Club Project Spotlight: Zimbabwe

Published April 16th, 2012 at our old website

Reported by Jo Ann Ross

Suffering from regular 12-16 hour electricity cuts, Nkulumane Clinic, in Bulawayo, was in a very bad situation. The maternity section of the hospital had to operate by candlelight, and cold water during the night – unfortunately babies do not wait for the daytime hours.

Rotary e-Club of London Centenaryi s now a partner in Zimbabwe with Junior Achievement (JA), a well-established world-wide organization set up in the USA in 1919, which promotes business education in schools. In Great Britan and Australia, the organization is known as Young Enterprise (YE). In Zimbabwe it is known as Junior Achievement Zimbabwe or JAZ.

In early 2017, the Wheelchair Foundation UK, founded by Rotarian Milton Frary, initiated a project to send a container full of wheelchairs for use by disabled people in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Consulate in London supported the project by adding 20% to every donation made by a Rotary club.

Working once again with the Rotary Club of Moshi, a town in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, Milton assembled contributions from 25 clubs, including Jersey RC and the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary to fill the container. Together with a grant from District 1130, London Centenary was able to contribute £2,000, which together with £400 from the Consulate, was enough to fund 33 wheelchairs.

Jo Ann Ross, a London Centenary RC member living in Harare, Zimbabwe, travelled to Tanzania in early November to be present for the handover of 110 wheelchairs by a Tanzanian government commissioner in Moshi on 11 November 2017. The impressive ceremony was attended by a good crowd, several radio and TV crews as well as journalists.

A delighted recipient with Elaine Frary and club member Jo Ann Ross (standing).

This man, (Michael) came in wearing a pair of well- known branded trainers on his knees to enable his getting around. His knees had been locked back for so long – it took some adaptation to make him comfortable!

There were many emotional stories that morning when recipient adults were carried into the presentation area with stories of how they could not go with their families to Church or children to school or participate in out-side activities. Many were confined to their bedside - rarely to even go outside.

Receiving a wheelchair is not only life-changing for the recipient, it is also a relief to the family members and others who help the disabled to get about, often over difficult terrain.

Wheelchairs funded the by E-Club of London Centenary are identified by having the name of the club embroidered on a badge

Faye not only spearheaded and managed the whole operation, but hosted Milton, Elaine and Jo Ann for a few days! She is widely known and is fondly referred to as ‘Mama Kuku’ as she has three chicken farms

Bottom left shows the one of the delighted recipients being taken home on her husband’s motorbike with the huge box tied to the back.

All boxes are clearly identified with size and name. Boxes are often put to good use as mattresses in some areas.

How does an e-club of district 1130 get involved in a community project in Zimbabwe?

To quote a phrase of Alexandre Dumas, which has become a cliché of detective pulp fiction, "cherchez la femme".

Jo Ann Ross, past president of Rotary E-Club of London Centenary makes her home in Harare Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) where she has lived most of her life. Her membership in an e-club based in district 1130 enables her to engage in Rotary projects at community, district and international level.

In the Fall of 2014, Jo Ann a director of Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (called Young Enterprise in the UK) convinced the E-Club of London Centenary to support this project together with the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brook (Zimbabwe).

Following the JA structured business programme, a company under the name of Verity Holdings ZRP was established by students with support from school authorities and JA Zimbabwe, to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit among its students. Under the leadership of Tanaka Chingonzo student CEO, the company, among other activities, commercialised the process of converting waste plastic into floor polish and producing it for consumption by the school and the surrounding Hatcliffe community. The initiative won several accolades including an award at the Sanganai- Hlanganani international expo and EMA Environmental competitions. [picture 1]

Based on this success, and thanks to a grant from EducationUSA, Tanaka was accepted to Watson University (USA), an incubator that runs a degree-bearing four-month programme for student innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs working to solve the toughest social and environmental challenges of our time.

Following this academic achievement, Tanaka, the 18-year-old graduate of ZRP High School in Hatcliffe, Harare, has now landed a scholarship to study at the United States’ College of Wooster, a prestigious research focused college in Ohio (USA). He travels for the four-year study this August. [picture 2]

This success story is an excellent example of how an e-club can make a big impact in a community project albeit 7’500 miles away. Rotary E-Club of London Centenary’s support has helped Tanaka Chingonzo develop his skills and hopefully, in the future, enable him to make a valuable contribution to the development of his country.

Since January 1, 2015, an international team of Amateur Radio Operators have been active on the amateur radio bands, with the call-signs “OU0POLIO” in Denmark, and “DL0POLIO” in Germany. The call-signs were created to bring awareness that Poliomyelitis (POLIO) is not yet eradicated in the world. Rotarians will not stop immunization programs until Polio is 100% eradicated. It is anticipated that the eradication will be completed by 2020.

In individual radio contacts and conversations, our radio operators inform on the work of Rotary in general, and with a focus on End Polio Now.

Our Radio Operators, when talking to other Radio Operators, provide information on the work Rotarians are doing, to END POLIO NOW. https://www.endpolio.org/

Danish Rotary District 1450 & Germany Rotary District 1842 - the Rotary Club Altoetting-Burghausen, in cooperation with “The International Fellowship for Rotarians of Amateur Radio, (R.O.A.R.)”. http://www.ifroar.org/ continue to promote Rotary's Service Above Self.

Congratulations to President Elect Graham on his induction to the Paul Harris Society at the Eastbourne Conference.

Club Visit by DG Helen Antoniou, 17th November 2016

Tonight we had one of our best ever attendances when DG Helen together with PDG Dick Nathan joined a few members and guests at York Gate and 15 members and prospective members joined the online meeting

Taken by Jeremy, one of our incoming Global Scholars, this photo shows DG Helen Antoniou and PDG Dick Nathan, with his wife June, our Treasurer Michael, and PAG and Club member Francis Uwaechi who made up the balance of attendees.

November 2016: Crocus Planting Update

Just before half-term break, the Rotakids group planted the first 1000 of the 5000 crocus corms in the school grounds in large planters. Then each child was given 3 corms and a purple flowerpot (donated by a local garden Centre) which they planted up to take home. They were given guidance by Ernie, a retired nurseryman, on how to plant and take care of their crocus pots at home.

October 2016:The new RotaKids Club is promoting PolioPlus awareness: An update from Secretary Stella.

Just a brief report on the first part of the programme. It’s been fun so far. I have two support Teachers One of whom is from the other school in the Federation and are looking to also introduce RotaKids to help and the kids are pretty well behaved – 18 of them in the group, and Ernie comes too.

Some are very keen and we are looking forward to our Planting day in two weeks. We have 5000 corms to plant. The two big planters are not fully filled with soil so the crocuses would not be seen when they bloom. The company that did the landscaping is well known to Ernie and me, and Ernie spoke to them and they will top them up for us with reclaimed soil in a day or two. Ernie went to a nursery today and told them what our club was doing for the Polio Campaign. They have donated two packs of larger crocus corms – deep purple, and lovely purple flower pots for the children so they can have a pot with a couple of corms to take home and look after, and a bag of compost for planting them. So Thank you letters on the agenda for next Friday.

District 1130 Foundation Committee recognises London Centenary's support of Rotary's own Charity.

At the recent Foundation awards dinner Club members Graham and Stella were pleased to receive two awards for work done in Support of Rotary Foundation on the Club's behalf. One was for our financial contributions to the Charity, and one was for the successful conclusion to another phase of our Junior Achievement Programme in Zimbabwe. The award of a District Grant enabled us to fund the training of young teenagers in Enterprise skills. The students undertook to identify a need in their community, design, produce and market a product. Zimbabwe is noted for its frequent power outages which can last for many hours, especially during the dark periods of the day, and the students designed LED powered torches, which proved to be successful and popular with local customers.

Well done to Stella for all her work with Global Scholars, our four Sustaining members and donations to Foundation from individuals and Club funds - all added up for our Club to be given Commended certificate.

The 4th award our club received during 2013-14 - well done to all involved.

Hello members and visitors – this was sent to us by a staunch and seasoned Rotarian from the US – and as it has so many replies already and addresses to a modern day problem within Rotary I thought it a good idea to put it where we can see it and get input from others on this.
Jo Ann Ross May 2014

by: Tom Carroll on RI Discussion Forum: Membership Best Practices

For some time I've been thinking about the Rotary membership challenge in the United States and Canada, and what lies at the issue's core.
I've come to the conclusion that it isn't that we don't ask guests to come to meetings, or even that members leave because they are not engaged. If this were true, then simply inviting people to meetings and engaging the membership would have solved our problems years ago. As Gateway Rotary (D5020) experiences dramatic growth (50% so far this year) and Gig Harbor Rotary (D5020) even has a waiting list,

I'm constantly being asked, "What are you doing differently"?

The answer? We're selling a car people want to buy, not the car we have always sold.

As this was the first 'bricks and mortar' meeting since the start of the Rotary Year of our e-club, we normally meet on-line, IPP Francis handed over the Collar of Office to incoming President for 2013-14 Jo Ann Ross. The President also received a framed Certificate of Appreciation on bahlf of the Club from the RC of Borrowdale Brooke in Harare, expressing their thanks for the assistance given to them by the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary.

A special event for London Centenary was the visit of our District Governor Eve Conway-Ghazi to our meeting at York Gate. It was all the more special as the members of the newly formed Interact Club of the London Nautical School came along to receive their charter. This fine group of young men are already planning projects in their community.

THE E-CLUB OF LONDON CENTENARY ASSISTS YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN A HARARE HIGH DENSITY SUBURB

(Entrepreneurship now part of the 6 FOCUS AREAS of Rotary Foundation)

At a recent meeting of the RC of Borrowdale Brooke, Harare, (RCBB) a cheque of US$ 1,160.00 (£800.00) was presented to President Sep of the RCBB for a high density suburb school in Harare.

President Sep then presented the cheque to Mr Stephen Gwasira, board member of Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (JAZ). The funds will be used for twenty-five students from Hatcliffe Senior School, to be mentored and facilitated in the art of entrepreneurship with the professional materials provided by the sponsorship.

Club Project Spotlight: Guatemala

Reported by Christopher Edwards

The Rotary E-Club London Centenary has donated £400 to the Los Niños project in Guatemala to fund the salary of the new computer teacher at the Semilla de Esperanza y Amor (Seed of Hope and Love) in the village of San Mateo Milpas Alta near Antigua, Guatemala. His name is Jorge Ortiz and he is a 21 year old accountant. An article about him that appeared in the February 2012 newsletter of the Los Niños is set out below.

Club Project Spotlight: Zimbabwe

Published April 16th, 2012 at our old website

Reported by Jo Ann Ross

Suffering from regular 12-16 hour electricity cuts, Nkulumane Clinic, in Bulawayo, was in a very bad situation. The maternity section of the hospital had to operate by candlelight, and cold water during the night – unfortunately babies do not wait for the daytime hours.

Rotary e-Club of London Centenaryi s now a partner in Zimbabwe with Junior Achievement (JA), a well-established world-wide organization set up in the USA in 1919, which promotes business education in schools. In Great Britan and Australia, the organization is known as Young Enterprise (YE). In Zimbabwe it is known as Junior Achievement Zimbabwe or JAZ.

We are part of London District 1130, but our members come from all over the world. We meet online every Thursday evening at 8:00 pm UK (GMT) time. If you would like to join us for a meeting, you will be most welcome! We use ZOOM.us video-conferencing software. It is free and easy to download. Please join us on Thursday, in our meeting room. Click here to contact our Club Secretary Stella.

Rotary e-Club of London Centenary: Projects for 2018-19

Please consider making a donation to one of our projects. Click on the title for more info:

Supply of 2 large water tanks for 2 primary schools in Uganda as well as water

barrels. In partnership of RC of

Mityana, Uganda.

International Youth Projects:

Contribution to the cost of 1 or 2 young people to take part in an international

project involving some community

service, Lead member Graham.

Poverty Breakers:

The Club continues to support the work of this small charity based in Enfield,

North London, with poor people in

Gujrat, including giving educational

assistance to street

children,

Lead member Stella

Kiva:

The Club continues making loans to low income people across the world,

Lead member David.

Purple for Polio:

Planting of 5,000 Crocus Bulbs in &

around London area, exact location

TBA,Lead member Ghazala

Project Water & Sanitation Rotarian

Action Group:

The project is designed to help

communities in Torero, Uganda. The

project will provide

communities with clean water and

improve sanitation and therefore health by funding, unused Funds kept aside for Global Grants from last year will be

used to raise funds for this project.

Lead Member Stamford

Club’s Community Projects:

RotaKids, Dictionaries for life,

Disability Games, District DG Project,

Hosting of Global Scholars.

Lead member Stella

Projects completed last Rotary year 2017/18

Gift of a Smile Stage 2- This Guatemalan project with the Dutch charity TESS Unlimited has only £317 left to spend. As there is no further assistance we can give to the 6 children originally involved in this project, District 1130 has given approval to us to pay for an operation for one other child. This should take place this month. The final report on the project will then be sent to District 1130.

Kiva – The 2 London Centenary Kiva teams made new loans totalling $875 in 2017 and $925 in the first 4 months of 2018.

Rotary Club of London Centenary: Set up in August 2013. Loaned $325 in 2017 and $175 in the first 4 months of 2018.This team has 10 members, has made a total of 106 loans in 44 countries over the 4 years and 8 months it has existed.

London Centenary Rotary Club: Set up in March 2017. Loaned $550 in 2017 and $750 in the 4 months of 2018. This team has 6 members, and has made a total of 40 loans in 21 countries over the 13 months it has existed.

President’s Project in Uganda - This joint project with Mityana RC in Uganda is progressing well. A £925 District grant was received in January, 2018. All the money for the tanks, guttering, taps and building materials has been raised through donations and the sale of items on eBay. The 2 water tanks have been delivered to the 2 rural primary schools. Work to install the tanks will continue after the current school holiday. Phase 2 of the Uganda project has been live on Rotary ideas for almost a month and results have been very disappointing even though the item has been advertised in the District Newsletter for the last 3 weeks.

Community Service Project– The Club made a donation of £125 towards the £800 Emma Rahman had to raise for the Balloon Venture Foundation before going on a 3 month project to Eldoret, Kenya to assist small scale business people to increase their profits. She travelled to Kenya on 13 September 2018. We are waiting to hear from Emma. She has agreed to speak to the Club about her experience.

Poverty Breakers– Bindya Amin, the founder of the Poverty Breakers charity based in North London and working in North West India, is due to speak to the Club in May 2018. The Club has agreed to make a donation of £200 towards the work of Poverty Breakers.

Rotary Shoebox Scheme – Honorary Club member Ernie Russell continues to co-ordinate the Shoebox Scheme for District 1130.

Wheelchairs for Tanzania – Our 33 wheelchairs were handed over in Moshi on 11 November 2017. (The project cost £2,000 of which £1,000 was a District grant.)

Project in Thailand with Francophone 9920 – We contributed to a global grant project lead by Francophone 9920 costing US$43,200 which supplied 4 dialysis machines to the Fang Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (The project cost us $500.)

Missed a Club Meeting? To make-up a meeting, visit our webpages, follow and respond to a discussion on our forum, visit our Facebook Page,or attend one of our weekly club video conference meetings using ZOOM.us8pm GMT on Thursday. Please contact our Club Secretary Stella Russell for details.

You are invited to make a donation (maybe the cost of your missed meal or a cup of coffee) to one of our projects via our "Donate" button. Please name your Rotary Club and chosen project on the PayPal form. An attendance Certificate will be issued by the Secretary within a few days.